Difranc-ly Delightful: Ani Difranco Rocks Stubb's

With a repertoire as prolific and deeply personal as Difranco’s, reigniting stories of dusty broken hearts and decade-old betrayal could be taxing. But the songs, as alive as they are live, seem to evolve with her, as in “Two Little Girls,” when the line, “We met on a plane/we were both nineteen” becomes “We met in a dream/we were both nineteen.” As vivid memories slide further along the space-time continuum, they do tend to feel like dreams, and the many levels on which Difranco has newly captured this song outline her performance ability to go with the flow. Just like her inspired, sped-up performance of “Anticipate,” wherein – even as an overzealous fan tried three times to climb onto the stage with her, nearly succeeding the third time, Difranco sang, strummed, and tapped without missing a beat.

Difranco has famously chided fans for drowning out her voice and throwing off her improvised rhythms with mass sing-alongs. It’s hard to say whether her views have shifted, or if the Stubb’s audience was simply too determined to hear themselves sing for her to bother getting in the way. During an energized encore, she offered, “a little sing-along for you, since you’re all so fuckin’ awesome at singing.” She then launched into a unique rendition of “Every State Line,” a capella but for drummer Alison Miller on a woodblock and Difranco adding to the percussion. Throughout the evening, Difranco’s big-booted bouncing meshed beautifully with Todd Sickafoose’s bass talents and Mike Dillion’s melodious vibraphone and cello. Closing out the night with classics “32 Flavors” and “Gravel,” the 5’2" powerhouse in orange cargo pants and a white muscle shirt proved that just because you’re happy doesn’t mean you’re backing down.